Army man gets jail term till death for raping 9-yr-old girl
BENGALURU: IN a rare instance in the judiciary, a 29-year-old soldier was sentenced to imprisonment till death by a city court within seven months after he allegedly raped a nine-year-old girl.The court completed the trial within three months, immediately after the investigating officer filed the chargesheet within 54 days after the incident. The crime was reported on August 13, 2017.
The 54th Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge M Lathakumari, on Wednesday, sentenced Balakondaiah for offences punishable under Section 376 of IPC read with Section 3 and 4 of POCSO Act. Considering the gravity of the offence and the severity of the mental and physical harm suffered by the survivor, the court awarded `3 lakh compensation and ordered the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority to comply this order.
According to the judgment, Balakondaiah was residing at the quarters of Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre campus in Halasuru police station limits. On August 13, 2017 at 5pm, he took the 9-year-old girl playing in ground to his house and allegedly raped her.
In a swift action, the then Halasuru Police Inspector Subramanya arrested Balakondaiah and submitted the chargesheet by completing the entire investigation within 54 days. Chinnavenkataramanappa argued the matter on behalf of the prosecution.
BEST INVESTIGATION
Appreciating the efforts of the investigating officer Subramanya, the court, in the judgment, mentioned that this was his best investigation.
Trial Records
Date of incident: 13/8/2017
Investigation completed in 54 days
Trial completed in 3 months